Keeping the Distance
by pimkie
Summary: After taking an important job in District 2, Gale is looking for a fresh start. But a girl from his past, whom he believed dead, appears in his life, determined to never let him forget about the place where he came from...
1. Chapter 1

_**I do not own neither "Hunger Games" books, nor the characters.**_

_**This fanfiction is a continuation of Mockingjay, so it contains spoilers from books 1, 2 and 3.  
**_

_**Hope you enjoy my story, I hope you can understand everything even with typos or gramatical errors, but English isn't my native language (I try the best I can =3)**_

_**Feel free to send me a PM if I'm being lazy and not updating!**_

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**Chapter I**

When the sunlight hit his eyes, Gale knew he had to get up. He stood up, blinded by sleep, and went to the bathroom, where he bathed. He looked in the mirror and barely recognized himself. His gray eyes were the same, but a lot happened since District 12 had been destroyed, and he seemed to have aged. Everyday he found a new gray hair in the middle of his dark ones, and he as barely

He left the bathroom with a towel around his waist. He looked at the bed and saw Enobaria in the same position, back up, uncovered. She was 10 years older than him, and you could hardly tell. Her hair was thick and long, yet completely black, and you could only notice a couple of wrinkles on her face.

Gale wasn't exactly Enobaria's biggest fan. He hated her sharp teeth, so she used to wear false teeth when she was with him to please him. She was stubborn, calculating and had a tendency to burst easily, a thing Gale could relate to, but it wasn't exactly what he was looking for in a woman.

But she was the only person he knew in District 2 when he moved there. She found him a simple, small and cozy house in the village, and introduced him to everyone, and made him company when he was alone. Becoming lovers was a step. But Gale wasn't in love. He still couldn't overcome his biggest love.

He would live haunted by the horrors he had done, everyday of his life. He could never forgive himself for Prim's death. And he lost Katniss in the moment Prim died.

But he knew that in time he would forget. And Enobaria was there to help, if needed.

He got his work clothes from the closet, got dressed and quietly left the house. She already knew what to do, and when he returned at night, the house would be empty and tidy and he would do his normal routine until the night she would decide to come by again.

Gale couldn't go back to District 12 because of the memory of Prim. He missed his house with every bit of his soul, but he couldn't go back and face Katniss. Even Peeta, when he lost all of his humanity at the hands of the Capitol, had never done something so terrible.

So he decided to accept a job in District 2, helping with the safety and rehabilitation of the District. He worked directly with the Mayor, being deputy chief of security. Peacekeepers no longe existed, but every men who formerly had this position were invited to be trained again and change their ways of acting in the districts, creating a new kind of police.

Gale was proud of his work. He loved what he did, and was recognized for his value.

From all the people in his past, he missed Beetee most. Both became good friends during the time they worked together in District 13, and Beetee was the person who challenged him the most. Gale learned a lot from him, and whenever possible he would visit him in District 3.

As he walked up to the Nut - which had been rebuilt with District 2 people's hard work and dedication - Gale was greeting people he knew. District 2 was very different from District 12, it had many villages throughout the territory, but the one closer to the Nut had the highest concentration of population.

In the town square, Gale entered a train. It looked like centuries have passed since they had disabled the Nut in the revolution. The memory of those days filled his veins with adrenaline. Everything seemed so far away in the past.

When Gale got into the mountain, he left the train along with many men and women who worked there, but was soon approached by a middle-aged woman who was part of his team.

"Hawthorne, need you on the top floor."

Gale raised an eyebrow. "On the top floor?" He thought he didn't understand correctly. The top floor was where the interrogation rooms were located, but they weren't used since the fall of the Capitol. He began to follow the brisk pace of the women and entered an elevator. "Tell me what happened."

"They found a girl near the fence. McDermott is trying to talk to her, but until now she only told him she was from District 12. We assumed that you could know her."

"Maybe. I have to see her though."

The elevator door opened and they entered a gray corridor. The walls were completely covered by metal, and all doors were locked. Gale didn't like being there. He could still smell suffering.

Former Peacekeepers brought there those who they thought could start riots against the Capitol and the system. He was told it happened very often. And yet many of them were later punished in public.

Gale twitched, feeling a print on his back. It was the lashes marks. They healed completely, but occasionally they had a very proper way of reminding him they were still there.

Going into the last room, three men were looking at a mirrored glass. On the other room, McDermott, a middle-aged man with gray hair, spoke with a dark figure.

It took a while for Gale to be able to discern the shrunken figure of the girl. Her dark dirty hair wouldn't let him see her face, because she was looking at the table. Her restless hands clutched a glass of water, untouched. She seemed afraid.

"She's very disoriented," said one of the men in the room. Ferinse wore a pair of glasses on the tip of his nasal bone, and always had a serious face. He kept his arms crossed across his chest, and his blonde hair slicked back. Gale didn't care much about him. "She didn't know how much time passed since District 12 was destroyed. Neither did she knew about the revolution or the fall of the Capitol."

"She must have been a long time in the woods" concluded Gale. "She may have tried to flee to 13 but for some reason she separated from us."

"Perhaps," Ferinse nodded. "We thought you could recognize her. Since your district wasn't that big."

"Yes," Gale approached the glass and squinted, trying to recognize something in that girl. "I'm not able to see her properly. She's too shrunken-"

The moment Gale spoke, she turned her head to face the mirror. Gale knew she couldn't see him or hear him, but he still jumped on him place. Even behind the dirt on her face that also darkened her hair, he could her traits. And those eyes, there was only one person in the entire District 12 with eyes as rounded as hers.

She was Madge Undersee.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II**

Madge Undersee.

_I thought she was dead. She _was_ dead. Carbonized in the Mayor's house. Unrecognizable..._

Gale saw Ferinse eyebrow rise on the mirror's reflection. He pulled himself together and said, "She's the daughter of Mayor Undersee. We thought she was dead."

"Apparently she's more alive than you thought," said Ferinse, leading his hand to his chin.

the other side of the glass, Madge turned her look at the glass of water. McDermott got up and went into the adjoining room, where they were.

"What's new?" He asked, looking for Gale.

"Mayor's daughter," Ferinse said, before Gale could open his mouth.

"Yes. She still seems to have privileged modes." McDermott looked at the glass. "I didn't tell her all that happened since she left her District. I think she is still trying to digest the fall of the Capitol."

"Did she said how she managed to survive this long in the forest?" asked Gale.

He was amazed. Madge wasn't exactly the kind of person he would have imagined surviving in the woods. In fact, she was the last person he thought could survive alone in the middle of nowhere. But she was there, much thinner than before, but alive.

"No," answered McDermott. "Maybe she feels more comfortable talking about it with you. Can you go in and talk to her?"

"Okay, I can try" Gale instinctively passed his hand through his hair, and went for the door.

The moment she heard the doorknob sound, she looked directly at the door. Gale felt embarrassed, it had been a long time since someone looked so directly at him.

"Hi, I don't know if you remember me-" he began, only to be interrupted by her.

"Gale. Gale Hawthorne." Madge seemed genuinely surprised. Certainly she wasn't expected to see him there.

Gale pulled a chair and sat in front of her. Her dirty hands continued to hold the glass firmly, although he doubted they had enough strength to break it.

"I wasn't expecting to see anyone from back home here," she said, looking at her hands again.

"And I wasn't expecting to see you at all. Everyone thought you were dead." Gale was unable to avoid the accusation tone.

It was no secret in District 12 that Gale wasn't fond of Madge. She lived a life without worries as the Mayor's daughter, never having to ask for tessera to feed her family, never having to dig the ground in search of coal, never having to work for others for money.

Yes, Madge was lucky for a long time. And Gale hated her for it. Hated her because she had the life he wanted for himself. Because she always had food on her table as he would frequently sing his brothers to sleep with empty stomachs.

Gale felt his nails stick onto his palms flesh, and realized he was being carried away by memories of another life. He couldn't let her know he still had so many resentments towards her.

"I think I was supposed to die. They wouldn't spare the Mayor's daughter." Madge seemed to read his mind, and her blue eyes stared at his grey ones. "I was going to see Mrs. Everdeen when the lights went off, because my mother was very upset and needed tranquilizers. When the attack began, I managed to get into one of the Victor's Village houses. And I stayed there for hours, waiting for someone to come looking, but nobody came. And the next day, everyone was gone. I gathered all the food I could find in the Victor's houses and fled into the forest. I thought everyone died."

"But the food couldn't have lasted for a whole year, what you do when it finished?"

Madge shrugged. "I ate some plants. Found some freshly dead animals. I learned that I have good aim with a sharp stick."

After a moment of silence, Gale spoke. "I'm so sorry."

"Why?" Madge's voice was sweet, as ever, although Gale have never realized it until he heard her speak again.

"I was the one led all survivors to the Meadow. If I knew you were alive-"

"Gale," For the first time, Madge took her hand from the cup and grabbed his from across the table. "You had no way of knowing I was there."

Gale looked at her hand on his, and quickly pulled his away. Madge looked a little stunned by his attitude, but how could she know that he hated her? And she had no fault.

He stood up and looked at her for a moment. "I think there's nothing more to say for now. But it's better if you stay in the District during the next few weeks since we need to warn the Capitol that you are alive."

He turned around and tried to get to the door quickly, but the moment he touched the doorknob, he heard the sound of Madge's chair dragging on the ground as she got up.

"But where will I stay? I have nowhere to go, I don't know anybody here-"

Gale looked at her over his shoulder. "I guess you can stay with me while you can't return home."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter III**

He entered the adjoining room, and the people inside were looking at him.

"You know there's a refugee house, Hawthorne." said Ferinse with disdain.

"I thought she would be better off with someone she knows." It was the first excuse that came to his mind. He didn't know why he told her she could stay with him.

"No problem," McDermott intervened, approaching Gale. "Go to the refugee house, and there will be someone waiting for you with some clothes for her. You can stay with her for the next couple of days, to help her fit in, but then you return to work. When the papers arrive from the Capitol, she can go back to District 12 if she wants to."

"Yes." Gale nodded, and everyone left the room except him. He saw a girl through the mirror bring a bowl of water, so Madge could wash her face and arms before leaving.

Each layer of dirt that came out gave room for her pink skin to start to show. Gale waited patiently until she finished, and when that happened, he re-entered the room and took her out of the Nut. Madge followed two steps behind, looking around.

Riding on the train was certainly the most exciting part of the whole trip. Gale watched her as she looked out the window. He remembered his first time. Probably he had that same look on his face, because he remembered it was one of the most important experiences of his life.

They got to the Town Square, and walked to refugees house. There, a lady waited for them at the door with a bag. Nothing too special inside, but it was more than the clothes she was wearing.

They walked in silence to Gale's house. He was surprised she did not ask questions about him being on District 2, but he was relieved by it. He wasn't too eager to talk about it.

He opened the door, and realized Enobaria had already left. "Here is the living room, the kitchen is on the right and bathroom to the left. The first door in the corridor is my bedroom, the second is the guest bedroom, where you'll be staying." Gale walked through the house, pointing to the compartments without souding really interested in doing it. Madge followed silently behind. He opened the guest bedroom door and put the bag on the bed. "There are more sheets and blankets in the closet if you need them. It's not special, but this house is better than what I had back in Seam."

"It's a huge improvement from the woods," said Madge, with the same harsh tone on her voice. This reminded him of every time he they clashed back in District 12, especially on the day Katniss was reaped for the Games.

Gale opened the closet and pulled out a towel. "Here. You can take a shower if you want, but I have to warn you sometimes we don't have hot water."

"Thanks," she said, and took the towel from his hands and the bag from the bed, and took them to the bathroom, where she closed the door.

Madge turned on the water, and didn't even wait for it to get warm. She stripped the rags she was wearing and jumped into the tub. She looked intently as dirt swirled around her toes into the drain, trying to remember the last time she found a stream and managed to take a bath. It was probably a month ago. She was lucky enough to find lots of fruits and not being a person who needed to drink a lot of water.

It was good to feel a roof over her head. Even if that meant having to share it with Gale. They always had their differences, but Madge never thought he could be so cold towards her, after all this time.

She left the bath and dried herself with the towel, and her eyes ran to the mirror. She recognized the person who looked back at her, but it seemed more like an old childhood friend than herself. Her blonde curls were longer than she remembered, and also a little clearer, perhaps due to the sun. Her skin was still white, but now she had a few freckles on her cheeks and nose. But she was so different, and could see the shadow of thinness on her cheeks and shoulders. Probably she was a little malnourished, but at least she was alive.

She grabbed the bag with her hair still dripping, and searched its contents. Two pairs of pants, one dress, three t-shirts, a tank top and shorts. Also one pairo f worn out sneakers, two pairs of socks and underwear. Enough for those who have nothing.

Madge chose the shorts and the tank top, and made a ball with the rags that were lying on the floor, in order to place them in the trash. She dropped the bag and the towel in the guest bedroom, and came barefoot to living room and kitchen area, where was Gale.

The kitchen was connected to the living room, since there were no walls separating them, only one small table with three chairs separating the rooms. Madge thought he probably didn't have many visitors, and therefore did not need a big entertainment area. She sat on a chair and rested her chin on her folded arms, and stood watching him.

"What?" Gale seemed to be on defensive mode.

"Nothing." Madge was silent for a moment. "I was thinking. Why did you come to the District 2?"

"Because they invited me." He answered dryly.

"I thought you were in love with Katniss. It makes no sense you leaving her."

Gale rested the knife he was using to cut slices of cheese, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Of course she had to talk about Katniss. It couldn't happen any other way.

"Katniss is with Peeta now. She doesn't need me anymore."

"Sorry for asking," she said, straightening up, and realizing she had pushed a button she shouldn't.

Gale finished making the sandwich and placed it in front of Madge on a platter. "It doesn't matter. I'm here and I like it."

But she wasn't even listening. He was amazed to see how she threw herself to the sandwich, as if she didn't eat for days. And probably she didn't. But he wasn't a great cook, and he lived alone so he didn't had to be. He felt a little bad for not being able to offer anything better than a cheese sandwich.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter IV**

The next morning, Gale woke up with a delicious scent invading his room. Alarmed, he got up and ran into the living room, where he saw the table set and a tiny and extremely thin girl by the stove.

Madge. Yes, for a moment he had forgotten she was there. He was so entangled dreaming with life on District 12 as it was before that his mind didn't let him digest what happened the previous day.

She slept for almost 12 hours after eating. He didn't had dinner, and went to bed early. He was accustomed with waking up too early but for some reason he slept in, which wasn't normal.

He walked into the room, pajama pants and worn t-shirt, and approached the table. "What are you doing?"

"Scrambled eggs" she said as she placed the contents of the skillet into two dishes. She grabbed them and put one in front of him. "Ta-da! I've toasted some bread, found some jam in one of the cabinets, but I don't know if it's still good. The eggs were in the fridge."

Gale sat down and grabbed a fork. Madge sat beside him and they began to eat in silence.

"Why did you do this?" He asked, curious.

"To thank you for the bed and the ceiling. And because I haven't eaten eggs for over a year, maybe." Madge smiled at him and Gale was amazed that he never realized how beautiful she was when she smiled.

Confused, he looked back at the plate. "It wasn't necessary."

"You can never accept a favor, do you?" Her voice sounded angry, but her face remained calm and serene. Gale couldn't understand if she was really angry or if she was just messing with him.

After a few minutes, someone knocked on the door. He looked at it, puzzled. He wasn't expecting anyone, let alone at that hour. While Madge grabbed the plates and took them to the sink, he went to the door and opened it.

Enobaria outbursted in the room. "I was waiting for your call yesterday, or that you came over. Next week I have to go to the Capitol and-" she stopped in the center of the room and stared at Madge, who returned her gaze with curiosity. "You have company."

Gale closed the door and hurried to place himself beside her. "Enobaria, this is Madge. She is a... old friend from District 12. Madge, this is Enobaria."

"Enobaria? As in the victor Enobaria?" Said Madge, astonishment on her face. She dropped the dishes and ran to the older woman, rushing to shake her hand. "Oh, I never thought I would meet you! I vaguely remember your Hunger Games, but I was very young when they happened"

Enobaria smiled, and Madge lost hers when she saw the sharp teeth. "Yes, I am."

Gale was quick to intervene. "Well, Madge was missing since last year, and miraculously came to District 2. She will stay here until her situation is regularized."

Enobaria looked at him, and although still smiling, he saw in her eyes that she was furious. "I see. I had intended to spend the night today, but I can come some other time."

"Please, you don't need to stop coming because of me," Madge hastened to say, still somewhat stunned by the sight of the victors teeth.

Enobaria looked away from Gale and spoke with some enthusiasm, "My dear, if I come here tonight you wouldn't be able to sleep."

Madge flushed and Gale felt embarrassed. He knew Enobaria was jealous and if she stayed longer would be worse. So, he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the door. "Well, we can talk later then. Have a good day, Enobaria."

The woman smiled and gave him a passionate kiss. Before leaving, she looked at Madge. "I hope you enjoy your stay."

When the door slammed, he didn't know what to do. Enobaria had caught him off guard, and it didn't happen often.

"You sure know how to pick them" said Madge, turning back and returning to the kitchen to wash the dishes.

"What do you mean?" Gale approached her, and crossed his arms.

"Nothing. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." She continued to rub the plate, although it was already clean. She didn't seem to want to make eye contact with him.

"She was the only person I knew when I came to the District 2," he said, feeling irritated by the criticism of her words. "She was my only friend."

"I understand. You don't need to explain nothing," she put the dishes down and turned to him. "I'm sorry. I was so used to seeing your with Katniss I never thought you could have someone now. I was surprised, that's all."

"Katniss and I never had anything," he lied, turning around and sitting on the couch in front of the television.

"That's not true, but I'll take it." Madge sat beside him, hugging her legs and resting her chin on her knees. "But I know you liked her very much. Anyone just had to see the way you looked at her."

"And how do you know?" He asked, slightly annoyed.

When he looked at her, she laughed. "Come on, everyone knew. Like we knew you weren't her cousin..."

"It's not true," he said, rolling his eyes.

"If you say so" Madge shrugged and went to her bedroom.

Gale sat for a long time staring at the ceiling. He didn't like the fact she could read him so well. He never gave her much confidence but she always knew what to say to affect him.

He remembered when Katniss was in the arena for the second time, and it was Madge who sat beside him watching the Games. Everyone avoided him, but her. And at that time it was comforting to have someone next to him, even if they didn't dare to speak. And he hated her for it. He hated her for making him feel sorry for himself, for having lost Katniss twice to the Capitol. For not being able to do anything to protect her. He hated her with the same spark he loved Katniss. And maybe that was why he put no effort in looking for her when the District 12 was destroyed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter V**

When Gale entered Madge's room, he found her lying on the bed, reading. It was probably one of the books he had in the living room bookcase. Gale never enjoyed reading, but those books belonged to the former house habitant and he didn't had the courage to throw them away.

"You know there's something called knocking," said Madge, without looking away from the book.

"I was wondering if you wanted to see a little more of District 2," said Gale, his eyes stuck on the window. He still felt guilty for what he thought on the living room. It wasn't her fault, she tried to be a good person and he didn't let her.

"It would be interesting." Madge put down the book, sat on the corner of the bed and picked the old sneakers.

The two left the house and began walking down the street. Madge looked around, impressed with how everything looked so different from District 12. She wondered if the other districts would be like that.

"How do you feel about your return to civilization?" asked Gale, with his hands in his jean's pockets. He wasn't sure what to say.

"Well," began Madge, breathing deeply and smiling. "I was alone so long, so it was a bit overwhelming to see so many people so suddenly. But I'm getting used to it. It will begin to feel normal quick."

Gale nodded. "Did you found anyone on the woods? Or you were alone the whole time?"

"Alone. I never saw anyone." She looked at him. "I didn't even find any other District, wich is odd. I never suspected President Snow died. I always thought he destroyed District 12 and everything was still the same."

"Life after that was anything but the same." sighed Gale. "The survivors moved to District 13."

"But I thought District 13 had been destroyed decades ago," said Madge, startled. Gale thought her reaction was strange, but then remembered he always believed District 13 no longer existed.

"Well, it's a long story," he said, passing his hand through his dark hair.

"I would love to hear it" Madge stopped walking and Gale looked back.

"I can tell you. But let's just walk a little longer."

Gale took her to the place where he would go to think. It was just a few minutes away from the District fence, and reminded him of the Meadow back in 12. Now everyone was allowed to leave the District, but the fence still existed to protect them from external dangers. There was no ban on hunting, although people couldn't do it often so they would put the wild life in danger. Most of the meat came fom District 10, and instead of being taken to the Capitol, it was distributed between the remaining districts.

Gale and Madge sat on the grass, and he began to tell her everything. From the moment he lead the survivors out of 12. How they endured for three days until the hovercraft came to take them to 13. Life there, Katniss being made into the symbol of the revolution, the trip to the Capitol to end the oppression.

"But what happened when you were in the Capitol?" asked Madge, interested. It was the first time she interrupted him throughout the whole conversation.

Gale felt a lump in his throat. "President Snow put children around his house as a barrier. They received silver parachutes, and they exploded in their hands."

"Oh my God" she said, covering her mouth with her hands in amazement.

"It gets worse" Gale didn't cry, but he felt his eyes wet. "Prim died in that attack."

"I- I can't believe it," Madge took her blonde hair away from her face and wiped her eyes. "It must have been so hard. Everybody loved Prim. "

"Yes." Gale could barely breathe. The blame for Prim's death would always be a weigh on his shoulders. "Sometimes I think that everything could have been so different."

"I imagine. No wonder you couldn't go back to District 12. Nothing will ever be the same."

"That's true," Gale looked up to the sky. Madge looked at him and wondered how everything changed in so little time. Who knew both of them would be there. "I accepted the job because I thought I can do a greater good here. I wouldn't be much help back home."

"But your family is there," Madge remembered him. She felt sick, when she remembered that she had no family anymore. She was alone in the world.

"Yes, my mother and my brothers. I thought I'd go visit them but I don't have the guts to do it."

"Maybe when I move there you'll have more excuses to visit," mocked Madge, resting her right cheek on her bent knees.

Gale allowed himself to smile for the first time. "Maybe."

"So you came here, and now you're dating Enobaria" she laid down and stared at the clouds in the sky. It reminded her when she was little and she would do this with the other town kids, Peeta included, and they would look for bunnies and faces in the clouds.

"We're not dating," he corrected. "Sometimes we hang out."

"She seems too possessive to just be 'hanging out' with you," Madge smiled and closed her eyes.

"She's alright. Sometimes she gets too caught up, but she's alright." He didn't felt like talking about Enobaria anymore and Madge noticed that.

"You are young, and you are enjoying your life, I get it." She got up and shook the grass away from her trousers.

Gale also got up. "And I always thought you were a prude."

Madge smiled. "I guess you don't know the Mayor's daughter after all," and she turned her back to him, her golden curls bouncing around her shoulders, heading back to town. Gale saw her walking away, and crossed his arms. It seemed he couldn't figure her out anymore.

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**Author's Note: Hi everyone! Hope you are enjoying the story so far. Been writing a lot, and hope to post the new chapter as soon as I can. I also wanted to show you guys the graphic my friend Diana did for the fanfic! You can see it here: **_tinyurl.-com/d4k767d _**. It's so cute! I totally loved it. I intent to post this fic on my tumblr as well, **_fanficangel.-tumblr.-com_ **. My other fanfic, _The Love and The War_ is already posted there. Well, that's all for now! xoxo**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter VI**

The next two days were spent walking around the District and nights spent watching television. Finally the television channel began showing some interesting programs, not just those horrible romance soap operas from the Capitol. For a long time those were the only programs in Panem, alongside ridiculous talk shows and, of course, the Hunger Games, but now that was history.

Eventually, Gale had to return to work. He was always tense about leaving Madge alone, but she felt confident enough to go grocery shopping and she didn't feel bad about being alone.

Gale was amazed at her ability to integrate herself. He always had great difficulty in opening to others, and he knew she used to be very reserved, but now it seemed like she was more at ease since her return to civilization. He often caught her making conversation with random people on the street, and he had to wait for her to remember they were going somewhere to stop talking.

Everyday, when he came home there was always a culinary surprise. Madge was proving to be a real cook and spent more and more time in the kitchen. She told him one day she used to help her house cook making dinner.

"It was always a little fantasy of mine," said Madge one night during dinner, while she stared at the plate. "having my home in District 12, a husband to make dinner... a family."

Gale could have sworn he saw her blushing. He was thinking he shared that dream, getting home every day from the mines and seeing Katniss, and the children he would have with her, and sleeping next to her. But this was the life she now lived with Peeta, or possibly would live, and they could never share their little dream house in the Seam.

"It's silly," she sighed, playing with her food.

"It isn't" Gale secured her. "I think everyone kind of wants that."

"Thanks," she whispered, looking up at him.

"Why?"

"For not making me feel stupid."

Madge opened a beautiful smile and Gale felt nervous. He didn't know why, but he recently always felt that way when she smiled. Then he remembered himself her papers should be coming soon, since it passed a month since she showed up there.

But the truth was that he was getting increasingly anxious to get home everyday, talk to her, be with her. And he didn't understand why. He avoided being with Enobaria since the day she came to visit, but he knew he couldn't avoid her too much. Enobaria was impulsive and boiled in little water, so he always arranged one day or another see her and give her some attention. The last thing he wanted was she showing up again to make a scene.

One day, arriving home after spending the end of the afternoon with Enobaria, Gale was surprised to find Ferinse sitting on the couch talking to Madge.

"What are you doing here?" Gale asked, suddenly suspicious.

"Hawthorne, it took long for you to get home," said Ferinse, with a smug smile.

"Your friend came looking for you," said Madge, who staid on the couch while Ferinse stood up to shake Gale's hand.

"Again, why are you here?" Gale was upset. Ferinse never appeared at his house unless he had some urgent news, or if he wanted something.

"I just came to bring you some paperwork that McDermott wanted you to see. And I wanted to see if Madge was adapting well to District 2" when he said that, Ferinse looked back and smiled at Madge.

"Thank you, but you could have sent a messenger with the papers."

"Come on, Hawthorne, you seem to hate me." That was an understatement. "Well, it's time to go. But I'll be back tomorrow around eight to pick you up."

Gale raised an eyebrow when Ferinse turned to Madge with so much at ease. They had known eachother for what, fifteen minutes? And they had already made plans to go out the next day?

"Of course, Hugo, I'll be waiting," answered Madge, waving at Ferinse while Gale openned the door for him to leave.

"Goodbye, Hawthorne."

Gale closed the door without answering and turned to Madge. "Hugo? Since when are you guys on a first name basis?"

"Don't be like that, Gale. He's nice." Madge stood up and went to the kitchen to finish dinner.

"We're not talking about the same person." He followed her to the kitchen and leaned against a wall, his arms crossed.

"What's the problem?" Madge seemed to have lost her patience when he looked at her. "He came here, we talked, and he invited me to go out tomorrow. It's good for me to meet other people, make new friends."

"You could be friends with someone I like, for instance" he said, still annoyed.

"But it's you who have to like him?" She asked, turning off the stove and placing the contente of the pot in two dishes. "You are Enobaria's friend, and I don't have to like it."

"It's not the same."

"Whatever, Gale. You're not my big brother so you don't get a say in this." Madge served dinner and did't speak for the rest of the evening. When he began cleaning the kitchen, she locked herself in her room.

Did she like Ferinse so much to get so offended by his opinion? Gale still couldn't understand why she was so upset. It made absolutely no sense.

And he didn't realize what made him feel so angry at the situation. There was no reason for feeling this way. He was being stupid, and all because he hated Ferinse. Maybe he had good intentions towards Madge. Maybe. Gale wasn't so sure, but maybe it was better to give him the benefit of the doubt.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter VII**

"Why do you feel so angry about Madge going out tonight?"

Gale looked at the ceiling, and pondered on the question. He knew he had no responsibility over her, but he still felt the need protect her. After all, she was all alone in the world. There was no one she could trust and Ferinse was definitely not the most reliable person in the world.

Lying in Enobaria's bed, he kept the sheets around his waist while she sat at the desk, just wearing a turquoise gown. Her long black hair fell down her back, and even without touching it, he knew it was the most silkier hair he ever touched.

It was rare seeking her during the lunch break. Gale spent the whole night and morning thinking about Madge and Ferinse and needed to unwind a little. Therefore, when the clock struck midday he left the Nut. When he arrived at the Town Square, it was just a 5-minute walk separating him from the Victors Village.

After half an hour, Gale finally felt ready to talk to Enobaria about why he felt so agitated. Obviously he didn't expect her to understand.

"I'm not angry. I just..." Gale sat on the bed and leaned forward, covering his face with his hands. He stayed like that for a moment, and then straightened himself. "I feel this need to protect her. Like... she's my little sister or something."

"A rather hot little sister," she replied, turning in her chair to face him. Gale felt his face get warmer, though he knew he wouldn't blush. "I know men like this cute, innocent and naive school girl vibe she has going on, but I think she's old enough to know what she's doing."

Gale ran his hand through his hair. Enobaria got up and climbed into the bed, kneeling in front of him. "I know you like to be the hero all the time. But sometimes we have to learn to respect other people's decisions."

"You're right." She was. Enobaria leaned over and kissed Gale. Both of them returned below the sheets.

After twenty minutes, Gale was arriving at the Nut. He was more at ease, but during the afternoon, the anxiety began to grow again. He knew he had no one to talk about it with, and couldn't return to Enobaria's house because she left for the Capitol, and would stay there for a week.

At half past seven, when Gale opened the door, he was relieved to find Madge sitting on the couch. She seemed have been there for quite some time, and looked nervously at the television's watch. She wore a white dress with blue flowers, with a tea-cup skirt and a square neckline, and blue ballerinas on her feet.

"Hi. New clothes? "Gale closed the door and put his jacket on the back of a chair.

Madge looked upa t him. She had combed her blonde hair in two braids, and the tips were as curly as a pig's tail. She looked beautiful, but at the same time she looked very young. "Yes. Hugo was nice enough to send them to me as a gift. Since I don't own anything nice."

Gale made a rather annoyed face. How could he not remembre it? Madge can't survive with what they gave her on the shelter. And he had enough to buy her pretty things...

"That guys has a lot of nerve." Gale left for his room, and listened her noisy steps as she followed him.

"What do you mean?" She asked, stopping by the door.

"He's buying you, you know," Gale looked at her over his shoulder. "Like a pet. He'll give you nice things if you behave and do as you're told."

"That's not true!" Madge sounded enraged. "I don't know why you pick on him so much, but I don't think he desserves it!"

"I have my reasons." The two were silent for a moment, until they heard knocking on the door. Madge rushed to the open and Gale Followed close behind. Ferinse appeared on the other side, wearing a white shirt and jeans. Gale had never seen so informal. Nor was wearing glasses.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked, excited.

"Yes, let me just get the cardigan," answered Madge, running into her bedroom.

Gale didn't move. "Ferinse."

"Hawthorne." The other nodded and stayed on the other side of the door with his hands in his pockets.

"I'm ready!" cried Madge, coming back. Gale grabbed her arm as she passed by, and Madge tried to pull it back, without success. "What?"

"You don't have to go," he whispered, without looking her in the eye. "You can stay here with me tonight."

"I want to go. I'll be back in a couple of hours." She whispered back. She pulled back her arm and Gale let her go.

Before the door closed, Gale was able to see the look on Ferinse's eyes. And he began to feel increasingly angry. Ferinse took it like a game, but it wasn't a game for Gale. But what was it then? He wasn't even sure.

In one second, Gale crossed the room and grabbed his jacket with one hand and walked out the door.

When she sat down at the small and new restaurant's table, Madge felt like the happiest girl in the world. Ferinse was polite the whole time, walking two feet away side by side, he handed her coat to the restaurant's employee and pulled her chair so she could sit.

Throughout dinner, they talked excitedly about her new experiences. He never asked her about District 12, about her family or Gale. Madge thought he looked like a prince, slicked-back blond hair, narrow nose and long face. His eyes were as blue as the sky, but seemed cold, like he never let anyone get too close.

He was a good five years older than her, and Madge wondered why he was still single. Could he be so devoted to his work so that he couldn't have a social life?

After dinner, Madge and Ferinse left the restaurant - where he paid for the food - and continued to walk through the empty streets of the District. It wasn't common for people to go out at night, but the youngers would get together at the Town Square during weekends. When they arrived in front of a blue house, Ferinse stopped walking, and Madge did the same.

"Why are we stopping?" She asked.

"This is my home," he said, smiling. "Maybe you'd like to come in?"

Madge stood there for a few seconds. "It's a bit late, and Gale will worry about me. We should probably get back. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, then I just want to do something before we get back." Ferinse approached her, put his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her closer. He seemed upset when she turned her face to escape his kiss.

"I'm sorry but I don't feel comfortable doing this," Madge was nervous, pulling away from him, but Ferinse grabbed her arm.

"After everything I've done for you today, do you really think you can do that?" He asked, while she tried to let go of his grip.

"What do you mean?" Madge was a little scared.

"I mean, You should be more nice!"

"I don't think so!" Suddenly, Gale appeared from the darkness and grabbed Ferinse's shoulder, punching him on the face. Ferinse fell to the ground and Madge stepped back, startled.

"Taking advantage of a girl for buying her clothes and dinner! You really are a piece of crap!" Gale yelled, furious. He turned to face Madge, grabbed her by the arm and pulled her home.

They walked all the way without saying a word. Eventually she pulled her arm and kept walking one step ahead of him. When they got home, she threw her cardigan on top of the couch, and tuned to meet him. "What the hell was that?"

"That was me keeping that pervert from harming you!" Answered Gale, red of anger.

"Oh my God, you were following us all night, weren't you?" Madge was shocked, and seemed more angry when he didn't answer. "You think I can't even defend myself?"

Gale approached her and grabbed her wrist. "He was going to hurt you. I was trying to protect you-"

"I do not need protection." Madge pulled her hand away. "Especially coming from you."

She turned around and stormed into her room. Gale let himself fall on the couch. What was he doing? Interfering with her life? He got so mad at Ferinse, he could have killed him tonight. He couldn't understand why, but he didn't want her near that man, or any other man for that matter, ever again.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter VIII**

The next morning, Gale woke up and felt the silence that echoed in the house. He never noticed before that he had grown to love waking to the sound of pots and pans that Madge used to prepare breakfast. He got up, got dressed and left the room. While walking down the corridor, he stopped in front of Madge's door and stared at it. He knew it was locked, like it was the whole night. And she refused to come out. It hurt a lot.

Perhaps he had gone too far. He shouldn't have punched Ferinse. Now everyone would wonder what had happened the night before, and Gale pondered if the coworker would tell what really happened. Or maybe not. Ferinse was too proud to admit he had been punched.

Gale tried to avoid Ferinse as much as he could during the day, without success. They always ended up bumping into each other in some hallway. T he blonde couldn't disguise the bruise around his right eye behind his glasses, and his nose was more swollen than normal.

But nobody talked about the black eye. They were busy with other things. Several young men had come to the District to receive training and the Nut had more life than usual.

Without being able to visit Enobaria, Gale returned home late with no hurry. When he arrived, he saw dinner was already on the table and Madge sat waiting for him to eat.

For a moment, Gale's heart jumped with joy. Then he saw her serious face and felt it sink. He had forgotten that she was upset.

"Hi," he said, taking off his coat and sitting in front of her.

"Hi" Madge didn't look at him. She was still very offended by the previous night events.

"How was your day?" asked Gale, without seeming to have much desire to eat.

"Normal," she said, playing with the food on her plate. "Hugo came here today."

Gale felt alarmed. "When?"

"Around lunch time." She didn't seem to notice his tense attitude. "He came to apologize for last night."

"He should do more than apologize. Like disappear" Gale muttered, putting down the fork, suddenly losing his will to eat. Madge sent him a glare, so he sighed. "And what was his excuse?"

Madge shrugged. "I don't know. It was a misunderstanding. He thought that I wouldn't take it in the wrong way. He thought I was more... experienced." Gale looked at her with a raised eyebrow, and Madge flushed.

"He thought _you slept with someone before_?" Gale leaned forward, his eyes half closed. He saw her get even more red.

"That would be difficult! I never had a boyfriend." She explained, trying to give the impression that it wasn't special.

"Yeah, right. I'm sure you had a ton of boyfriends" He leaned back in his chair and ran his hand through his stomach. That conversation was leaving him sick.

"Actually, I didn't. I was too hung up on this guy to let anyone near me" Madge grabbed the plates and took them to the kitchen's skink.

"You liked someone from 12? Who was he?" Gale stood up and grabbed the towel to bend it while listening to Madge.

"Like you didn't knew," She put the remains of the food on a dish, walked to the fridge and put it there. They should not spoil food, and they didn't eat half of it.

"I didn't." He laid the folded towel on the table and leaned against it, half sitting.

Madge took a deep breath and closed the refrigerator. "He was two years older than me. He was from the Steam. I didn't notice him until I was fourteen or fifteen."

Madge paused for a moment and Gale found himself wondering who could have been Madge's secret love. There weren't many boys, but there were some. Strangely, he could barely remember the faces of some. Probably they were working on 13 now, or simply returned to 12.

"He always picked on me a lot. Because I was the Mayor's daughter. Because I didn't had to apply for tessera. And I always answered back. I don't know, for me was something like foreplay. I always looked up for the spring time, when he would come to sell us wild strawberries." Madge rubbed the dish without need for it. It was just to keep busy and have an excuse not to look at him. "My father loved strawberries."

Gale knew that. He knew that because he and Katniss used to pick them up to sell them. Every spring. The realization it stung Gale like a wasp. He seemed paralyzed and unable to think of an answer. Therefore, he remained silent.

"When he was punished at the Town Square by the Peacekeepers for illegal hunting, I stole my mother's morphling and I walked through a snow storm to bring it to him. He never thanked me. When my friend went to the Games again, and no one would be near him because they were afraid of his reaction, I would come to the bar on purpose and sit next to him. I thought maybe he would notice me then. But he just started avoiding me. It hurt, but he was hurt too, so it didn't mind." Madge laid the plate and brought the back of her hand to her mouth, telling herself not to cry. "That's it. My big, fat, romantic life, told in two minutes."

"That guy was a jerk." Gale answered after a few moments.

She didn't answer. They remained silent during the rest of the time she was washing the dishes. When she finished and walked past him toward the bedroom, Gale followed her with his eyes.

"Madge," he called, getting up and walking toward her. She stopped and looked back. "Did you really like him that much?"

"I did. But he was always too distracted to see it." Madge gave him a sad smile.

Gale stepped forward and took her in his arms. Madge was surprised. She could feel his heart beat near her cheek, his hand on her blond curly hair. She noticed he smelled like homemade soap. Since she didn't know what to do with her hands, she grabbed the sides of her flowered red skirt, too afraid to even swallow.

"Thank you for the morphling. And for caring." He whispered. Since she didn't react, he kissed the top of her head, and broke the embrace. Too embarrassed to even look at her, he almost ran to his room and closed the door.

Madge stayed in the same place, like she couldn't move. She was frozen, looking at her bare feet. And she felt like crying. After all this time, now he knew. And she couldn't feel more mortified by his reaction. She pretended it wasn't a big deal, but she couldn't deny she still had feeling for him. But it didn't matter anymore. He had his girl and she would eventually go back to District 12 and they would never see each other again. She dared herself to breathe again. She could still feel his heartbeat on her cheek.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter IX**

They avoided each other during the following days. There was no need to prolong the embarrassment of that night. Eventually, Madge went out again with Ferinse. Reluctantly, Gale agreed not to follow them anymore, but couldn't keep quiet until she returned home.

He made a habit of going to see if she was well on those nights. He would wait until she fell asleep and go to her unclosed door to see if she was sleeping. He never stayed long. It made him feel tense and like an intruder. But only then he would return to his room and finally sleep.

One day they asked him at work to go to deliver some reports to the Mayor, and Gale took the opportunity to unwind a little. The atmosphere at the Nut was tense, with the arrival of the celebrations of the first year since the fall of the Capitol. He had a lump on his throat just thinking about seeing the image of Katniss on television, or worse, in District 2.

When he reached the Mayor's office, his secretary wasn't at her usual spot near the door. Gale was surprised but knocked on the door and opened it just enough to put in his head, and saw her serving a cup of tea to a woman sitting with her back to the door.

"I apologize for intruding, but there was no one out here..." Gale began to say but was interrupted by the Mayor.

"Hawthorne, come in" The Mayor stood up and gesticulated to Gale.

Gale closed the door behind him, and the woman turned around. "Enobaria" he said, surprised. "I didn't expect you back so soon."

"I came early," she said, rising. He wore a dark blue tailored jacket and skirt that hugged her curves, with a peach silky blouse underneath, and her hair tied in a bun. She approached him and gave him a kiss on the cheek and Gale's nostrils were filled with the perfume of roses and sweet almonds.

With her hand on his upper arm, she turned on her heels and smiled to the Mayor with her pointed teeth. "The Mayor and I were talking about a dinner-party tonight with the Capitol representatives. They will visit all the districts before the celebrations, to see how everything is going, and thought they could show a little of 2's hospitality."

"What a wonderful idea!" Cried the Mayor, sitting. He was a short and round men, with a bushy mustache and rosy cheeks. He didn't seem like a dangerous man, but Gale knew that no one should stood up to him. "You should come, Hawthorne, as one of those responsible for training the new Peacekeepers. And you should bring your District 12 friend."

"She is still here?" Enobaria asked, looking at Gale with her eyes shining.

"Yes," he said a bit reluctantly, grabbing hard the dossier in his hands. "The papers aren't back yet. She can't leave until they come."

"Too bad" Enobaria walked away from Gale and sat back in her chair. "I'll pick her up today from your house to help her get dressed. I bet the poor thing doesn't even own a party dress. Lucky me, I have a few to spare."

Enobaria and the Mayor laughed, but her eyes didn't.

"Enobaria, that's not needed," Gale began, but was interrupted by her.

"Gale, please," she raised her carefully manicured hand. "It's my pleasure. I think it is time to know each other better, anyway."

"Well," Gale said, walking and putting the file over the Mayor's mahogany desk. "Here are the requested reports. Thank you for the invite, I'll be there. Good afternoon."

He hastened to leave the room, but still managed to see Enobaria's eyes when he closed the door.

The day passed slowly, with Gale worried about Madge and Enobaria. Not that he didn't trust Enobaria, he knew she wasn't going to harm Madge, but he couldn't be less apprehensive. As soon as his shift ended, she rushed to get home as quickly as he could.

But once he opened the door, he was greeted by silence. She was no longer there. He hoped she wasn't be upset by Enobaria's surprise. So he decided to take a shower to cool off after that strange day of work.

He allowed himself to stay under the shower for a longer time than he was used to. He let the water fall from the top of his head to his shoulders, down by the muscles of his arms and back until it found its way to his ankles, feet and ground. He felt his muscles relax under the warm, and for a moment he didn't think of anything else.

But he had to leave the bathroom and get to dinner. He didn't like these formal events, he felt trapped when he had to wear a tuxedo and bowtie. He was accustomed to use comfortable clothes that allowed him to have a wide range of movements.

He dried his damp hair with a towel, and combed it to look at least decent. He put on his onl white shirt, his coat and the varnished shoes he kept for times like this. Even before putting on the bowtie, he already felt restricted.

Before leaving, he looked in the mirror one last time. He wasn't that bad when cleaned up. He let himself smile and left home.

Arriving at the house of the Mayor, he felt a little diminished. It was the largest mansion in District 2, separated from the street by a high fence and a large garden full of trees and stone paths. He had been there a few times, but the feeling was always the same.

A Peacekeeper let him enter, and Gale still took a minute to get to the front door. There, he could hear the sound of music and cheerful conversation of the 100 most influential friends of the Mayor, rich families from District 2, Peacekeepers chiefs or important people from the Nut.

Upon entering, he crossed paths with McDermott, who was accompanied by his wife. After a little chit chat, Gale apologized and entered the hall, looking for a familiar face.

And he saw her, with a dark red strapless lace dress glued to her body, which seemed to have a semi-transparent black fabric over, that corever two inches of her bare leg and all the skin up to her clavicles. Her blond hair was stuck on her head, too relaxed not to be intentional, and he had never seen her with make up before. She looked like a completely different person.

"She's amazing, isn't she?" Asked Enobaria's voice, as she placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked away when he saw Madge receive Ferinse with a smile, when he came near her with two glasses in hand.

"In fact" Gale turned to face Enobaria. "You did a good job. On her and on yourself. You look incredibly sexy tonight."

"Thank you" Enobaria didn't smile, and he thought she knew how beautiful she was. She wore a black silk dress, with her back completely exposed, her hair half up, falling on her bare shoulders. "I thought you wouldn't notice me. Lately you only had eyes for the little 12's girl."

"You know that's a lie" Gale smiled, but couldn't avoid looking at Madge and Ferinse from the corner of his eye.

At that time, the Mayor called everyone to dinner. Enobaria quickly presented Gale to the Capitol representatives, before entering the Dining Room. One was a man from District 13, that Gale knew vaguely from his stay there, and the woman looked like a natural Capitol, still with all their extravagance in her wear. She was probably someone who was very familiar with visitaton protocols, as used to correct her colleague for the most minor things, fairly reserved.

Gale sat beside Enobaria, and Madge and Ferinse sat more to the bottom of the table. The meal was served with pomp and circumstance, and Gale tried to keep his composure, taking into account that he was created with few luxuries and wasn't used to this kind of situation.

Throughout dinner, Enobaria made a point of touching his legs with her feet, or move her hand on his knee. This made Gale feel uncomfortable, especially when he saw Ferinse leaning over Madge on the other side of the table, pushing a lock of her blond hair away from her face.

When dinner was over, the Mayor invited everyone to join him in the Salon for coffee, tea or whiskey, and Gale managed to get away from Enobaria when she got distracted by the Capitol representatives. He needed some air, he felt too stuffy inside that house.

He got out through the Dining Room glass doors, which opened onto a small balcony that allowed to see the garden in front of the mansion. Leaning over the railing, was Madge. Gale felt unsure about going to talk to her, but decided to go ahead. They couldn't continue to avoid each other forever.

"Overwhelmed by all the people?" He asked, standing beside her, hands in his pockets.

Madge turned slowly, smiling. "A bit. We didn't have parties like these back at District 12. "

"I wouldn't know, I was never invited" Gale joked, also smiling, and looking at her through the corner of his eye.

"For someone who isn't accustomed with this sort of thing, you wash yourself up quite nicely," Madge let out a small giggle.

"The same to you," answered Gale. Madge seemed to be both happy and sad at the same time, if that were possible. He assumed that she must have been thinking about home in District 12, her parents and all that was lost that year.

"Your friend Enobaria helped me. Never thought she was a pro in makeovers" she said, touching the railing with her belly, and leaning on one foot.

"Enobaria shouldn't take any credit. You're already beautiful." Gale smiled, and leaned his elbows on the railing, approaching her.

"Now you're trying to fall on my good graces" Madge turned her head towards him, leaning a little to the railing as well. She grabbed the handrail with more strenght than necessary, but she did it so he wouldn't realize her hands were shaking with nervousness.

"No, I am not," he said, looking away from the garden and staring at her. "You are the most beautiful woman in this party."

Madge gasped. They were only mere inches apart, close enough to touch. And oh, how much she wanted him to end that small distance. They stayed there, staring at each other, getting closer, when someone walked into the balcony and called her name.

"Madge?"

She almost jumped in her place, but Gale held her cheek and rubbed a invisible spot underneath her eye, and recited too loudly, "There you go, now your make-up is flawless."

Madge looked at him, confused, while he straightened up as if nothing happened. When she turned she saw Ferinse looking at them both. "Is everything okay?"

"Sure." Said Gale, careless.

"The Mayor was asking for you, Madge," said Ferinse, still looking at Gale with suspicion in his eyes. Madge approached him and Gale turned his back to them to face the garden. "Are you sure everything's okay?"

Madge looked one last time to Gale's back, uncertain, but smiled when she looked at Ferinse. "Yes, everything's fine."

Gale felt his hands close into fists as he listened the two whisper behind him. He had to breathe and count to ten in order to stay calm as they left the balcony. Why did the felt to troubled? He never felt that kind of attitude before. He never let himself be lead by primary instincts before, like Madge was making him right now.

Lost in his thoughts, he hardly noticed that Enobaria hugged him from behind. "A penny for your thoughts," she said, and he turned around to see her and smiled, running his fingers on her jawline.

"I was wondering if you wanted to spend the night," he said, and for a few hours he didn't felt guilty. He didn't felt guilty when he kissed her in the balcony, he didn't felt guilty when he took her to his room, he didn't felt guilty when he repeated what has done with her countless times. He didn't felt guilty until he left his room to have a glass of water and saw Madge's bedroom door, unusualy shut.

* * *

_**Author's Note: I'm so sorry for my absence! To my defense. I've been extra busy with school these past months, finishing projects and getting ready to move to Spain for a semestre, and then got a heartbreak of my own :'( So for a while I didn't feel like writing anymore, but now I feel better and I think I will continue this for good! Again, I'm sorry and I hope this won't happen again :) thank you all so much for waiting for this update! xoxo**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter X**

Gale woke to the sound of voices coming from the living room. _What the hell...?,_ he thought, suddenly awake. Although he couldn't understand what they were saying, he recognized the first voice as Madge, and the second onde as Ferinse.

Startled, Gale stood up quickly and put on his old hunting pants that he always kept on the bedroom chair. But when he was leaving the room, he heard the front door close, letting him know he wouldn't arrive there on time.

When he entered the living room, Madge was turning her back at the door and her blue eyes met his. He realized that a blush rose to her face when she noticed he was shirtless, getting very quiet and tense. Gale felt confused, looking down at his stomach in the morning light, and his big feet peeking out the bottom of his trousers, which were hanging on his hips. Usually he didn't walk half-naked through the house, but it wasn't every day he wake up with another man inside his home.

"Was that a walk of shame?" he asked, determined to clear the air.

Madge's face turned from embarrassed to angry. "Of course not." How could he dare to ask her something like that? If he wasn't being so god like, she would probably be much more mad at him right now.

"That doesn't explain why your door was shut last night" Gale said, almost sounding hurt about it.

"I shut it because I was trying not to listen to you guys." For a moment, neither said anything, and that choking feeling found it's way back to Gale's throat.

"So why was Ferinse here so early in the morning?" he asked, while half-sitting-half-laying on the couch, almost afraid of looking directly at her.

"In fact, he came here to give me my papers." Madge showed the large Brown envelope she was holding in her hands. "They arrived yesterday."

"Oh," he said, biting the inside of his lip. "You're going back to 12."

"That's what the Mayor wanted to talk to me about yesterday," she said, matter of factly, sitting on a chair and resting her palms on her knees, feeling her jeans. "He told me he read my files and, you know I wasn't 18 when the atack happened so I wasn't allowed to work yet, but my job was already chosen. So he found out I was going to be a first grade teacher, and he asked me if I wanted to learn it here and then decide if I wanted to go back to 12 or stay here."

"And did you made a decision?" He was finding it hard to speak because of the lump on his throat, but he asked it anyways. Madge looked at him with a half puzzled look.

"I told him I would stay until next Monday. I start tomorrow morning, from nine in the morning until six in the afternoon. I guess we can go and come back together since we have the same work schedule." She seemed very determined when she said that. He could see that she was thinking about it for a while now. "And my birthday is on Saturday so I thought it would be better to celebrate it here." With Ferinse, he thought. Not him.

"That's great," he managed to say, while she got up to lay the envelope on the table.

At that moment, Gale's bedroom door opened with a bang, and Enobaria emerged from the corridor wearing nothing but his white button shirt. Madge blushed and turned her back on the brunette.

There was no competition between them. Enobaria was tall and lean, her long worked out sun-kissed legs, her perfect red polished toes, and her dark hair that looked like silk at the sun, covering her breasts over the white shirt. Of course he would always choose Enobaria over her. She exuded sex and confidence through all her pores. Madge was as good as a little sick flower, deflensless and always at risk of being stepped on.

"Sh*t, you two talk too loud," complained Enobaria, sounding annoyed. "I couldn't manage to sleep anymore, thanks to both of you. Now I will take a shower so I can meet the Capitol people in two hours."

She didn't even wait for a response, turning her back on them and closing herself inside the bathroom. Neither Gale nor Madge said anything for a while, staying quiet in their places.

"She's a charmer," Madge finally said, putting down the envelope. "A real catch."

Gale got up. "This is not what you think," he said, nervous.

"And what do I think, Gale?" Madge turned to look at him, trying not to show the hurt in her eyes. "That you two have a weird relationship? That both of you are too damaged to admit that you care about each other and want more than what this is? You are perfect for each other. And it's none of my business."

"It's not like that," Gale walked to her. She looked almost scary, her blue eyes flaming, her red cheeks and her hand on her hip, reminding him of his own mother back at 12. If she was taller, he would have runned away to his room. "I am not in love with her. Like you said before, we have fun, but she's not the girl that makes my heart skip a beat. She's not the one I want to be the mother of my children. And I don't even know if I want that, but she's not the one I want to find it out with."

He took her face in his hands and her expression softened. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, she's not y-"

"Thank you for sharing, Gale."

Both turned their eyes to the bathroom door, where Enobaria was standing. She was probably there listening to the whole thing, since none of them cared to hear if the water even started running.

Gale looked mortified. "Enobaria-"

"Save your breath to someone who cares, Hawthorne," Enobaria left the bathroom and walked fast to his bedroom, where Gale found her getting inside her party dress and picking up her stilettos.

"Enobaria, this is not the way I wanted you to know this-" he started, following her out of the bedroom, but she turned around and pointed her finger at him.

"Don't even start with me. You should have talked directly to me instead of sharing your deepest emotions and thoughts with your little girlfriend. Now you better not even get in my way anytime soon, or I will go Arena-Enobaria on you."

She flashed her pointy teeth at Gale, wich was enough for him not to move an inch. She tuned around, glanced beastly at Madge, and left the house slamming the door.

Madge was still in the same place, looking at Gale stare at the closed door. "Gale, I'm so sorry..."

But when she started to speak, he turned around and went to his room. She understood instantly that he needed some time alone with his thoughts. He didn't love Enobaria, but he still cared about her.

She leaned on the table, biting her thumb nail. She wondered what he was about to say before all the yelling and fighting with Enobaria. Sure it wasn't nothing, she assured herself. No need to think about it now.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter XI**

After what happened with Enobaria, Gale kept his distance from Madge. He still felt guilty about the way the Victor discovered what he really felt. And after that almost confession to Madge, he felt even worse with himself. He hoped she didn't understand it, because even Gale didn't understand.

He always felt drawn to her since she appeared again, but he never really spent too much time thinking about it. Bur his erratic behavior lately was making him wonder if was there something more he never wanted to see.

Watching her walk beside him on the way to work, he started noticing little things that made him happy. The way she tugged her earlobe when she was embarrassed or unsure of herself, spinning her earring between her fingers. The way she would frown when she didn't agree with something he said. How she was showing to bee more stubborn than he ever thought she could be. Her blonde curls falling on her shoulders and how he could just put his arm around them so easily, but he never did.

She was loving the school. The Capitol was right when they guessed her vocation. She would talk nonstop for hours about her students, and everything she was learning from the older teachers. She would return home with paint on her hair, face, fingers, clothes. She was radiant and he could see it.

And when he saw her bending down to see a drawing made by a little boy, he knew it. Her hair fell in front of her face but even that couldn't hide the glow on her blue eyes, and her smile lightened the ancient classroom. He watched while leaning on the classroom door frame with his arms crossed, the kid running past him to the playground in front of the school. And she looked up at him and opened that smile. And he knew he was falling for her.

She walked towards him, asking, "It's already time to go?"

"Yes," he answered, looking down at her. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Nothing," Madge blushed. "I mean, I was thinking about buying a cake at the bakery and making something nice for dinner."

"I think you are going to do that on another night, miss Undersee," he smile and turned his back on her, starting to walk out of the school.

"What do you mean?" she asked, running to keep the pace. He just smiled at the air and didn't say anything else.

So she followed her. It's not like she had anything else to do. Still, she could have turned around and walked back home, but she was curious. And when they walked the gates of District 2, she was even more curious.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked, and it didn't take long to realize where they were going.

When they arrived to the Meadow that reminded Gale so much of District 12, she saw a tablecloth on the ground and noticed Gale's backpack on his shoulder for the first time. He turned around to face her, and has a huge smile on his face.

"It's your birthday present. A picnic. Unless you have something better to do tonight."

"No, Gale, this is amazing, thank you," said Madge, and she was truly happy he decided do to something special to celebrate her day.

They sat, and he opened the backpack and started taking out stuff he brought from the house. "And we have a jar of olives for appetizer. To drink, orange juice and water. And for dinner..." He took some time and looked at her, unsure, until he showed her something wrapped in a napkin. "Cheese sandwiches. You know I'm a horrible cook."

She laughed while he started laying out the sandwiches he made. "At least we won't starve to death."

"Ha-ha, funny" Gale frowned and threw a sandwich to Madge's lap. "Maybe you should have gone out for dinner with Ferinse."

"_Hugo _didn't know it was my birthday. I didn't tell him," she said, matter-of-factly, unwrapping the sandwich.

"Why didn't you?" he asked, looking at her, puzzled.

She blushed. "I didn't want to spend it with him anyway."

He didn't say anything about it, but he was feeling pretty amazing inside. They chitchatted and ate, and when the sun was already going down, Gale told her he still had one last surprise. He picked his backpack and grabbed a simple white box. He gave it to Madge, who took it and blushed while opening it. Inside was a chocolate cupcake with a candle on top.

"It's your birthday cake," he said softly, lightening a match while she was taking it out of the box. He lighted the candle. "Happy birthday."

She smiled and he noticed the candle light flickering on her face. She blew it and a weird look took over her face.

"What's wrong?" Gale asked, afraid he did something wrong.

"I was just thinking..." Madge began to pick on the paper around the cupcake. "I remembered for a moment that I am alone."

"You are not alone, what about me?" he sat right next to her, looking worried.

"It's not like that," she let a little smile show. "I mean, so much has changed. There's no Games anymore. No Capitol, no President Snow. But then I remembered about everyone I will never get to see again."

Gale knew she was talking about her family, but the weight on his chest reminded him of another person he would never see again. The person that died because of him. The person who will never let him face his home District again. The reminder of what an awful person he was. And it was time to put the cards on the table for a change.

"Madge, I need to tell you something," he started, unsure about how to approach the subject. He was afraid of her reaction. He knew she would run from him. But he didn't want to keep secrets anymore.

She looked up from the cupcake, waiting for what he was going to say. "Yes?"

He moved a little, trying to face the sunset instead of her. Maybe that would make it easier. "When we went to District 13, I was hurt. Not in a physical way, but emotionally. I was a wreck. Everything I knew was gone. This huge anger started to grow inside me, and I didn't know what to do with it. So when I met Beetee and we started making experiences on the labs, we came up with some explosive devices."

He noticed Madge looking at him attentively. He couldn't even imagine the thousands of thoughts going through her mind right now. She was trying to make sense of everything he was saying, and looked and felt more ashamed by the second.

"We were the ones that caused the explosions in front of President Snow's house," he finally admitted.

"Wh- what do you mean?" Madge was afraid of the answer she would get from him. Why was he telling her all that? She didn't want to know. She wanted to live in ignorance forever. She knew his answer would change everything, so she wished she could go deaf when he opened his mouth and finally spoke.

"That I'm responsible for Prim's death."

Silence took the place. She couldn't take her eyes off him, and he wished there was a hole he could just disappear in. And slowly she fell out of the shock that came over her. "How could you?"

He turned to face her. "It wasn't planned. Prim was not supposed to be there, we didn't know-"

"She was Katniss' baby sister," Madge threw angrily at him. "She loved everybody, she loved you. And you loved Katniss. How could you do that to her?"

Gale looked, for the first time, on the verge of tears. "I- I didn't meant it, they took and destroyed everything I had-"

"There's no excuses for what you did, you are responsible for the death of dozen of young children!" She got up, and looked at him for a last time. "It's better that you never go back to 12. If I were Katniss, I would kill you with my bare hands."

She turned and walked away, the sunset light turning her hair almost red. Gale covered his face with his hands, filled of shame and disgust of himself. Prim's death would forever haunt him. He just hoped he could be able to forgive himself one day, so maybe Madge could forgive him as well. But he felt even worse when he noticed the untouched cupcake laying on the ground next to him.


End file.
